ANZCA Bulletin - June 2009 - Australian and New Zealand College ...

Joint Faculty of Intensive Care MedicineHonorary Fellowship:Prof Napier Maurice ThompsonHonorary Fellowship of the Joint Facultyof Intensive Care Medicine, conferred atthe JFICM Annual Scientific Meeting on 13June 2009 to Napier Maurice ThompsonUnder the regulations of the Joint Facultyof Intensive Care Medicine, Australian andNew Zealand College of Anaesthetists andRoyal Australasian College of Physicians,the Board may confer Honorary Fellowshipof the joint faculty on distinguished personswho are not practising intensive caremedicine in Australia or New Zealand buthave made a notable contribution to theadvancement of the science and practiceof the specialty. Professor Napier MauriceThompson is such a man. His contributionhas lasted for many years and has beenintegral to the growth of our specialty.Professor Thompson, known as “Nip”by his friends and colleagues, was born inSouth Australia on the 8th June 1944. Hegraduated from the University of Adelaidemedical school in 1966 and completedhis physician training with the RoyalAustralasian College of Physicians in 1970.He completed his Doctor of Medicine at theUniversity of Adelaide in 1976 after workingas a research fellow in Paris and Londonfrom 1972-1975.Thereafter, Nip began an illustriouscareer that encompasses the triad of clinicalmedicine, research and education thatcontinues to this day.His consultant clinical career in renalmedicine spans nearly thirty years andcommenced as an honorary consultantnephrologist at Geelong Hospital in 1981 tothe present where he is Professor and headof the Department of Medicine of MonashUniversity and director of Renal Servicesat the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne. He hasmade a considerable contribution to theclinical advancement of peritoneal dialysisand treatment of glomerulonephritis, organdonation and renal transplantation.Nip’s research career has mirrored hisclinical one, focused on aspects of renalmedicine and transplantation. He haspublished widely in aspects of laboratoryand clinical research in three books, 26book chapters and over 140 original journalarticles. Aspects of his research includecellular and immune mechanisms of renalrejection, diabetic nephropathy, renaland pancreatic transplantation. He is therecipient of numerous research grants frombodies such as the National Health andMedical Research Council and AustralianKidney Foundation. He is a sought-afterspeaker at international and nationalscientific meetings including visitinglectureships across Australia and NewZealand, the United Kingdom, Malaysia,Singapore, Sri Lanka and China.Nip has made a tremendous contributionto medical education at all levels includingtutoring for basic and advanced physiciantrainees, co-ordination of training programsat hospital, state and national levels,supervision of doctoral and post-doctoralstudents and fellowship examinations. Hehas provided long and dedicated service tothe Royal Australasian College of Physicianssince 1980 and served as President from2006-2008. In addition, he has held seniorportfolios on the Medical Council ofVictoria, Australians Donate, the AustralianKidney Foundation and the Centre forClinical Studies.In recognition of his contribution torenal medicine, Nip has received honoraryfellowships from the colleges of physiciansin London, Ireland, Singapore, Thailandand Ceylon.But we honour him now for his greatcontribution to intensive care medicine,which has not only been through his clinicaland academic career in renal and transplantmedicine, where the two specialitiesintersect, but also in his activities relatingto intensive care medicine within the RoyalAustralasian College of Physicians.Nip served on the specialist advisorycommittees for intensive care medicineprior to and after the training programs ofthe Royal Australasian College of Physiciansand Australian and New Zealand Collegeof Anaesthetists were amalgamated.This major unifying step resulted in theestablishment of the Joint Faculty ofIntensive Care Medicine in 2002, followingwhich Nip served as the Royal AustralasianCollege of Physicians representative onthe Board of the Joint Faculty of IntensiveCare Medicine until 2008. During this period,Nip brought expert wisdom and knowledgeborne of many years of service to medicine.Moreover, Nip provided balanced, butenthusiastic support as the Joint Faculty ofIntensive Care Medicine moved inexorablytowards independence and the formation ofthe new College of Intensive Care Medicine.His role in positively supporting theinaugural Annual Scientific Meeting of theJoint Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine in2005 was an integral factor in the success ofthis meeting that is all too apparent tonight.Nip is a true “all rounder”: a dedicatedfamily man and proud father, an excellentclinician, researcher and teacher and adedicated physician to the science and artof Medicine. It is therefore most fitting that,at the last Annual Scientific Meeting of theJoint Faculty of Intensive Care Medicinebefore we meet in Sydney next year forthe inaugural meeting of the new Collegeof Intensive Care Medicine, we honourNip for his tremendous contributionduring this journey of transitiontowards independence.Professor John MyburghVice DeanJoint Faculty of Intensive Care MedicineThe ANZCA Bulletin June 2009 79